Sexual Assault Response Policy

We encourage all students, staff, and faculty to review these policies.

It is vital to emphasize: Confidential reporting is available through Counseling and Mental Health Services (CMHS), as outlined in the policy (See excerpt below) which means that victims who report sexual assault to a clinical staff member of CMHS can do so without concern that the information will be reported outside of CMHS without the victim’s prior written authorization.

Confidential Reporting Options

A victim who wishes to discuss the assault confidentially may contact a designated Sexual Assault Counselor, including, for Storrs campus students, the Sexual Assault Crisis Center of Eastern Connecticut (24-hour hotline: 860-456-2789), and the Hartford Region Sexual Assault Crisis Program (24 Hour Hotline: (860) 522-6666) (Statewide list included in Attachment B of the official policy statement).

The law extends to a limited number of University employees the privilege to offer confidentiality to the victim and not to disclose communications with the victim. Typically, these are clinical employees who work within the Office of Counseling and Mental Health Services within the Division of Student Affairs or the UConn Health Center and include: (1) licensed marital and family therapists; (2) licensed social workers; (3) licensed professional counselors; (4) licensed psychologists; (5) psychiatrists licensed as physicians and substantially acting as psychiatrists; and (6) physicians and other medical professionals acting within a medical professional/patient relationship, including those recognized by the Privacy Rule of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).[iv]